Pay-what-you-can organic vege initiative grows in Addington

Saturday, 13 June 2026

Canterbury is one of New Zealand’s food baskets, its crops filling larders across Aotearoa and beyond. The Press’ Homegrown series **champions local growers – from generations-old family farms to new ventures *–* as they face rising costs, processing plant closures, and competition from cheaper imports.**

Te Waerenga sells bags of organic vegetable on a pay-what-you-can model.

“It means anybody who wants to eat beautiful, locally grown, organically grown kai can feasibly jump on board,” co-founder and general manager Wilby Le Heux said.

Those who can afford to pay more are asked to.

For a two-week supply, the price is $34 a bag – the non-profit’s estimated break-even point that helps cover fair wages for Le Heux and the cost of ethically sourced seeds and other supplies.

Te Waerenga was founded in 2018. “We had a lot of connections and friends who were really passionate about it, and they wanted to get their hands dirty,” Le Heux said.

Access to a council reserve was too hard initially, and plan B became back yards in Addington, where sections are small.

But demand meant they eventually had four back yard farms.

It is called “small plot intensive” farming, or Spin, and it is done all over the world, Le Heux said.

“We grow food in a way that supports living soil, using compost, organic inputs, and minimal digging to protect underground ecosystems,” states Te Waerenga’s website.

“Instead of monocrops and chemicals, we plant diverse crops together – creating a resilient, chemical-free system that produces nutrient-rich, flavourful kai.”

But Te Waerenga is about more than that.

The wider kaupapa, or purpose, is nurturing “community connection, hope, and care for the whenua through local food systems”.

“We have a big focus on education and sharing what we know and creating space for others to share what they know,” said Le Heux.

“Everybody knows at least something about growing kai … there are a lot of different ways to grow vegetables.”

The trust was always hoping to secure public space to consolidate and expand, but it turned out that most reserves in Addington probably have toxic soils from the area’s industrialised past, so they could not risk growing organic vege in them.

Eventually, Le Heux found his way through the necessary processes at Christchurch City Council and got a lease for 1700m² in the two-hectare Addington Park. Soil tests came back clean, and it is thought the reserve was a horse paddock before it became a park, Le Heux said.

Addington Park is the green space beside Barrington St and the Brougham St overpass. Traffic can be intense there and drivers might have missed the white tunnel house and well-organised vegetable plots.

The plot was blessed in September and later moderately fenced. In 2025, about 100 volunteers put in 2400 hours into Te Waerenga’s farms. It still grows produce in three back gardens.

Le Heux energetically praised those volunteers and paid special attention to co-founder Liam Davies, who took a year’s leave from study to establish the first back yard gardens for no money.

Friends and the community recognised Davies’ sacrifice and about 20 chipped in $5 a week so that he could have a little pocket money.

Te Waerenga offers three bags – a weekly vege bag, a fortnightly vege bag and a weekly premium salad bag.

It does not deliver. Instead, it has three pick-up locations (two on Lincoln Rd in Addington and one at Barrington Mall). Pick-ups take place on Wednesdays at different times. All the details are on the website, otautahiveges.nz.

Payment is by subscription and the trust prefers customers to sign up for whole seasons, like autumn.